Hailing from Poland, is the subject of this review, the band Devilish Impressions and their latest EP, Adventvs. They characterize their sound as symphonic black/death metal and have had three full-length releases throughout their career thus far. The band started out by releasing a demo in 2002, entitled Eritis Sicut Deus.

I’m not familiar with their previous releases, but Adventvs hints at a band with plenty of growth and maturation in their songwriting. There’s a strong sense of melody and structure on this two-song EP. I don’t hear a heavy dose of keyboards, which frequently makes its way into many symphonic black metal-styled albums, but this turns out to be a good thing, as the band create two catchy and entertaining songs that are better off without it.

After pressing play, the sound of something stirring seems to come from a deep, dark cave. The EP’s acoustic intro sounds like an old sitar in a harem in the Middle East. Imagine the Passionplay taking place, note by note, string by plucked string, the darkness spreading, the music building. A woman parts the strung beads that flow down the egress to the room, and as the woman’s face becomes visible to the guitarist, he realizes that the end has come. The woman’s eyes showcase the fires blazing through the deep tracts of hell. At once, the sound of plucked guitar strings disperse, and the music begins, slowly at first, before building to a crescendo, the proper music to Adventvs.

At once, the menacing vocals roar. All portals to the imagination are torn open, and the band lead you into a cyclonic wave leading into the heart of darkness. The slower sections and clean vocals hint at despair, the tragedy that is man’s fall. Devilish impressions if you will, of the struggle between good and evil.

Repeat listens are easy, due to the heavy dose of melody. The band knows how to build drama from sections in the songwriting, slowing down and playing ringing notes before coming out the gates with groove and intensity. The vocals switch from black metal style to clean singing on occasion, but the singing shouldn’t be a drawback for anyone, as vocalist Quazarre is quite competent.

The band save the most intense parts following the very short acoustic intro. The riffs are quite well-done and well-written. The acoustic sections are subtle, just adding nuance to the songwriting. Also worthy of mention is the bass being audible. You can tell that all three musicians on Devilish Impressions are adept at their instruments.

The band use an eerie lead part on first track Adventvs Regis, sounding like sampled noise. I can describe it as sounding like an electric guitar drawn by a bow, as that of a violin, and is certainly a welcome element in their music. The second track, Meteoron, utilizes a memorable groove-heavy main riff before breaking into a cascade of slower sections and faster ones. The rung notes figure heavily on the slower sections, as do spoken word passages.

Adventvs should add to the band’s cult following. A very cohesive melding of black metal and melodic death metal, the material should also prove worthwhile when heard live.